What Doesn't Kill Me Should Have Tried Harder
by TheSilverHunt3r
Summary: Summary: During the first siege of the Burial Grounds, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang get tossed into the RWBY world. Starts somewhere between RWBY volumes 3 and 4.


Summary: During the first siege of the Burial Grounds, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang get tossed into the RWBY world. Starts somewhere between RWBY volumes 3 and 4.

Location: Unknown

Jiang Cheng pried open his eyes. When he saw the green forest around him, he no longer felt so sleepy. He shot to his feet and grabbed the hilt of the sword strapped to his right side. He should not be in a forest as last he remembered, he was at the Burial Grounds fighting Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian groaned and sat up. He had a similar response to the scenery as Jiang Cheng; he reached for his flute and the Stygian Tiger Seal. His fingers closed around Chengqing's ebony surface, but the latter item was not hanging where it should have been. He remembered where it had gone and groaned loudly.

The two brothers met each other's eyes. They looked away almost immediately, wishing not to see each other.

"What is it you were groaning about just now?" Jiang Cheng asked, a snappish tone to his voice. Rage still burned inside his heart. He barely resisted the urge to draw his sword.

"The Stygian Tiger Seal is gone," Wei Wuxian announced with a frown. He kept a careful hold on his flute as he turned around to look at the forest.

"Then how the h*ll are we supposed to get back?"

Wei Wuxian ignored the question and promised, "I did not do any of this on purpose." He spotted Nie Huaisang lying against the trunk of a tree nearby. It looked like the three of them were the only ones here.

Nie Huaisang was still unconscious. There was a fan in his hands despite the saber at his side and the battlefield they had just come from. He hadn't been involved much in the fight at the Burial Mounds.

Jiang Cheng laughed bitterly. "That's the problem with you isn't it?" He muttered, loud enough for his brother to hear.

Wei Wuxian swung first. Instead of actually using their weapons, the two brothers seemed determined to pummel each other to death with their fists. Curses were thrown out with fervor and bruises were sure to form the next day.

When they got to trying to choke each other out, they were interrupted by someone hitting them harshly on their heads with a fan.

It was Nie Huaisang. There was a hint of exasperation and seriousness hiding behind his usually complacent smile. "A-Ying, A-WanYin, would you stop fighting each other please?" Although he phrased it nice, the Yunmeng brothers could tell he meant, "Stop being idiots".

What a shame the friendships between the three of them had come to this.

"A-Sang," Wei Wuxian began, but he could not find the words to continue. He knew Nie Huaisang was right in stopping them, as none of the three knew where they were or how to get back home. He stopped pinning his brother.

Jiang Cheng let go of Wei Wuxian's neck and stood up. He went still. Anger still swirled in his eyes, but he seemed to be distracted by something. He was staring into the underbrush around them.

Nie Huaisang held a finger to his lips.

Wei Wuxian fell silent. He wanted to say something. He needed to say something. But he could not.

The three young men listened to the forest.

Four beasts, black in color, with a white mask made of bone burst out of the forest. They were similar in appearance to a wolf. They were Grimm, of the Beowolf variety. They wasted no time in standing around and lunged for Jiang Cheng with their teeth bared.

Jiang Cheng left his swords on the ground as they were too far away for him to get. He called Zidian to his aid; his ring sparked purple and turned into a long whip that crackled with what seemed to be purple lightning.

Nie Huaisang drew his saber. He dodged to the side as another Grimm came at him. It was a Boartusk, something similar-looking to boars.

Wei Wuxian was ignored by the beast. He complained under his breath and dove for the swords Jiang Cheng had left. He realized that one of them was Suibian, his old sword. He drew Suibian and supported Jiang Cheng, tossing him his sword when he got the chance.

Together, they managed to make short work of the Grimm. The monsters died and turned to black ash.

Nie Huaisang poked at the pile with a stick. "These are not normal animals," he dryly pointed out. "Where do you think we ended up?" He watched the ashes disintegrate into nothingness.

"I have no idea. But I'm pretty sure we're far from the Burial Grounds." Wei Wuxian glanced at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng nodded, silently agreeing to a temporary truce. He was tired of all this, the rage in him had quieted to hot coals sitting in his stomach. He sheathed his sword. "Let's go find out."

XXX

Going to find where they were involved far too much walking for anyone's liking. The scenery blended together after the thousandth tree they passed.

"So, what's this great idea of yours? Pick a direction and just walk that way?" Wei Wuxian complained.

"If you don't have a better way of figuring out where we should go, shut up," Jiang Cheng shot back.

Nie Huaisang followed a step behind the two brothers.

It was nostalgic, in a way. If they let themselves relax, they could almost believe that they were back in school, wandering through the forests surrounding the Cloud Recesses. Of course, the conversations between all of them were far more stilted than what they had been a few years back. Their footsteps were silent, instead of the loud, careless sounds of youths traipsing through a forest. Such things broke the illusion, but the feeling of nostalgia remained.

They slept in the forest next to a stream. They took turns keeping watch during the night.

In the morning, they went back to walking. They followed the river down the mountain.

It took two more days before they found a town. Upon Wei Wuxian's suggestion, they cleaned themselves off in the lake the river fed into before entering.

The people looked like normal people. None of the clothes they wore seemed to be tied to a clan.

They found an inn. Wei Wuxian took off into the place before Jiang Cheng could stop him. He was already chatting to the innkeeper by the time his friends walked in.

"Hello, Mister. Sorry, we're a little lost. Could you tell us what town this is?" Wei Wuxian innocently asked.

"This town is Sea Cliff," the Innkeeper gruffly answered.

Wei Wuxian tilted his head. "So, where would that put us?"

"North-east of Mistral. Mistral, the capital, is about three weeks by train." The Innkeeper was not suspicious. Sea Cliff was a small settlement on the fringes, often ravaged by Grimm. It would be strange if the young man he was talking to had heard of it.

Jiang Cheng asked, "Is there any way we could make some money around here?"

Wei Wuxian sighed, remembering that none of them had money to pay anyone. It would be odd for someone to bring their purse to a battlefield and he was pretty sure that the plastic things he saw during their brief walk through Sea Cliff was this place's currency.

"You want some lien?" The Innkeeper stroked his beard for a moment. "If you were Hunters, then I could give you something to do. We have a lot of Grimm in these parts. Are you men Hunters? You two look like the type." He nodded at Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian in approval.

Nie Huaisang pieced things together before the Yunmeng Jiang brothers. Grimm were the monsters they fought in the forest. Hunters were people who killed the monsters. "We are," he affirmed. "If we help, what do we get?"

"Take out the pack of Ursa that's staying in the ravine to the west. If you're sure you all can handle it. They're a rather large pack, the Innkeeper warned. "But, I'll let you stay the night and I'm sure we can scrounge up some lien for you," he promised.

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Sounds like a deal."

XXX

Ursa were a type of Grimm best compared to bears. They were harder to kill than the Beowolves and Boarbatusk the trio had previously encountered. Overall, it was a similar experience to going on a hunt they found, but with the slightly more novel experience of occurring in a different world and involving creatures they were unused to. Not to say that Grimm were harder to kill; piles of ashes had quickly accumulated and vanished. The only issue was the sheer number of monsters they had to kill.

Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng, and Wei Wuxian were separated after several minutes of non-stop fighting. Nie Huaisang received a few nicks but managed to keep himself alive. Jiang Cheng was crushing monsters left and right but slowly tiring. Wei Wuxian was ignored by the Grimm, but made good use of such an advantage.

Such behavior gave Wei Wuxian an idea; the Grimm reminded him of fierce corpses, with how the monsters oozed resentful energy. He sheathed Suibian, his sword, and pulled out Chengqing.

The smooth notes of a flute pierced the Grimm's ears. They stopped and snarled.

Wei Wuxian let a smile escape onto his lips. He could control them, but it was rather difficult. It would take more practice to figure out how to handle them better. Controlling Grimm felt different then corpses; the Grimm seemed to actually be fighting his control. "Kill them, now," he urged. "I can't keep this up forever!"

XXX

Mistral

The next thing Wei knew, he was waking up. He sat up and groaned at the headache that pounded at his temples.

"Here," a voice said.

Wei Wuxian managed to groggily grasp the cup he was handed. "Where are we?"

"The Inn," Nie Huaisang helpfully informed. He spoke quietly, as he saw the pained look on his friend's face. "We're leaving in an hour."

Wei Wuxian downed the water and laid back down. "Then wake me up in an hour please."

"Sure."

XXX

They only talked about what happened once they were out of the town by about an hour and a half.

Nie Huaisang listed off, "So, Grimm are the monsters. Hunters kill the monsters. And A-Ying can control them with demonic cultivation?"

"Somewhat?" Wei Wuxian tilted his head. He rubbed his thumb over Chengqing's surface.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "Very specific."

Wei Wuxian laughed. "They're not just filled with resentful energy. They are made of resentful energy. And they have minds, it's more like trying to control Wen Ning then a regular corpse."

XXX

At the next town, Jiang Cheng found himself deep in conversation after Nie Huaisang mentioned his friend to the old Innkeeper.

Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang looked at each other and grinned. They quietly slipped out the door before anyone noticed.

When they arrived at the town's market, Nie Huaisang sighed as he remembered, "Ah, but we don't have any money, do we? Unless you got it from him before we left?"

Wei Wuxian held up a bag. "No worries, I have the pouch."

"Perfect."

The two grinned at each other and then started browsing through the stalls.

Food was the main priority, mostly dried foods like jerky that wouldn't go bad quickly. Nie Huaisang still got a fruit for each of them to have for breakfast tomorrow. He spotted his friend across the street and went over to see what he was staring at.

There were crystals of different colors arranged on a cloth.

"That there is some of the finest Dust in the area, gentleman," the lady running the stall said.

Wei Wuxian leaned over a bit to get a better look.

Nie Huaisang nodded and smiled at the vender. "I can definitely see that. What types are you carrying?"

"Fire, Ice, and Wind Dust." The lady pointed at each one in turn.

Wei Wuxian's eyes seemed to gleam. "How much for this one?" He asked, pointing at one of the smaller crystals.

"Forty five lien."

"We'll take it," Wei Wuxian immediately agreed.

The vender gave them a quick rundown of handling and using Dust. Apparently the stuff was rather volatile and the lady could see that they didn't entirely know what they were doing.

Nie Huaisang continued to smile as he paid and was given the Fire Dust crystal. He walked away from the stall, followed by his friend.

"A-Sang, can I hold it?" Wei Wuxian's eyes were glued to the Dust.

Nie Huaisang handed it over. "If you blow up our room at the inn and A-WanYin is about to kill you, just remember I had nothing to do with this."

"Of course."

XXX

Just like the last room they got, it was sparsely furnished and clean.

"What were you two thinking?" Jiang Cheng glared at them.

"We were just shopping." Wei Wuxian held his hands up, palms out. "We even left you a note. Calm down."

"Still-"

Wei Wuxian frowned. "This isn't really about us going off on our own is it?"

Nie Huaisang quietly slipped out, leaving the food behind.

Wei Wuxian watched Nie Huaisang leave, almost wishing their friend would stay but also knowing it was best he left. He hesitated and then asked softly, "Are we ever really going to talk?"

Jiang Cheng sighed; the anger that sparked inside him momentarily draining away. He sat on the creaky bed. "You want to talk, fine."

Wei Wuxian perched on the wobbly bedside table. "All I'm saying is. It'd be easier to get back home if we weren't having to deal with," he gestured between his brother and him, "All our issues with each other."

"I don't think just talking will solve things."

"Probably not."

The silence was heavy, filled with far too many emotions and thoughts to parse out which ones belonged to whom.

"You promised me you'd stay. And now, Jin Zixuan and big sister-" Jiang Cheng seemed to choke on his words. "Big sister is dead."

"I know," Wei Wuxian quietly said.

"You know! Of course you know. Is that all you have to say? Our family is dead. And half of them were because of you," Jiang Cheng hissed. Zidian crackled on his finger, responding to the emotions, but he did not summon the whip.

Wei Wuxian ran through the list of family they had. He ran through the list of those he had killed, or at least remembered killing. He clasped his hands together tightly, refusing to let his hands wander to his flute. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I thought you would be fine-"

"How would I be fine? My brother left me for Wens, to be scorned and wait for the clans to attack them for the slightest injustice they could find. And then you gave it to them, you gave yourself and the Wens on a silver platter. Am I to be happy my brother threw me away? Or that he was already headed towards death and that he did not drag me along?"

"I had to keep my family safe." Wei Wuxian raised his own voice in response. "I had to keep my conscience intact. I would be hunted either way, at least this way you were kept from harm."

"You were certainly wrong about the first part, weren't you?" Jiang Cheng challenged. "Why didn't you ask me, ask me what I wanted?"

"I'm sorry," Wei Wuxian whispered. "I did what I thought was right at the time."

"Would you change anything? Would you not stay with the Wens?"

Jiang Cheng took the silence, rightfully, as a no. "You attempted the impossible as usual." His features twisted at the terrible irony. "I guess the problem this time was, that you didn't make it happen."

Wei Wuxian laughed, tone just as bitter as he agreed, "I guess you're right."

It was not a resolution, but it was a step in the right direction.

XXX

The next town was deserted, overrun by Grimm some years ago.

They found a house that still had a roof to sleep in.

Jiang Cheng, being the responsible one, started setting things up for them to stay the night. He tried and failed at roping the other two into helping. After shaking his head, he set to work. He started a small fire and use his sword to gather logs to feed it throughout the night. He found what places were not rotten—as best he could—and cleared space for them to sleep on the wooden floor inside.

Nie Huaisang wandered close by, imagining the town as it had once been. He could almost see the lively people and the old but sturdy buildings. The only thing that had really remained the same to this day would be the dusty path that lead to and outside of the town; and even that was being taken over by weeds.

Wei Wuxian shifted through the rubble with a sort of childish glee. His eyes became flat upon finding a small, torn shirt, meant for a child. He carefully placed it back after folding the rags as neatly as possible.

Nie Huaisang had wandered back already and started cooking. He refused to let Jiang Cheng or Wei Wuxian cook, as their food was apparently far too spicy for his liking. He made three bowls and handed them out.

Wei Wuxian accepted the bowl of food. He stared into the dark with the warmth of the fire behind him. "I'll take first watch," he somberly announced to his friends.

None of them slept much, with the howls of Beowolves in the distance and the constant chill the town seemed to exude.

A/N

The trio is going to derail some stuff pretty quickly. So if you're down with the RWBY plot for the later volumes getting destroyed by them, then come aboard.

-Silver


End file.
